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Dirty secret of VC platform/talent/marketing teams: they are more about scaling the GP than the founder.

How does that work in practice? They focus on building a brand for the partner?

I think the fixation that luck is just a math exercise is the true culprit here. You’re right, your partnerships matter. The human element matters and can’t be quantified. It’s a gut instinct in leadership above the due diligence. When you find ones you work well with, you tend to keep the gravy train running.

If you're comparing apples to apples similar size funds it still does matter - sure a16z is 300 partners but they share a culture and mission that evolves constantly and this will have a meaningful effect on your interaction with them.

That sounds nice in theory, but in reality, whether you raise from a firm of three partners or 300, you're going to work very closely with a single partner, and his or her competencies/style is mostly what your interaction with the "firm" is going to be. And you rarely, if ever, get to chose the partner with whom you work.